Sarah’s expression was professionally gentle. “I completely understand, sir. Unfortunately, the moment you vacated them at boarding, the system automatically reassigned both seats to other passengers. They’ve been occupied since takeoff.” Julian absorbed this. “Then — is there anything else available on the aircraft?” Sarah checked her panel, taking just a moment longer than necessary. “We do have two seats available.” She paused. “They’re in economy.”
The silence that followed was considerable. Julian looked at Beatrice. Beatrice looked at the window shade. Then they looked at the suite — the safety video was beginning its loop again, the narrator cheerful and unstoppable. “We’ll take them,” Julian said.
Julian and Beatrice gathered their silk blankets and designer bags and made the long, quiet walk past the entire first-class cabin, through the curtain, and into economy. Not a word passed between them. The college student in 2B watched them go with undisguised satisfaction.